The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Longhorns in the NFL: Nate Jones
07.21.2008 | Football
July 20, 2008
Hey Longhorns,
It's been a wild ride since signing with the Vikings after the NFL Draft. I got a chance to go to a couple of mini-camps and I feel like I did a pretty good job. I'm just trying to learn the playbook and get adjusted to being a pro.
It's a really exciting time right now because I head back to Minnesota on Wednesday for training camp. They've got me playing outside receiver right now, which is a little different than I'm used to, but I'm just trying to do whatever I can to make the team.
This summer has been different from the ones at Texas. It's really the first time in a while that I've been on my own over the summer. At Texas, I'd be in Austin working out with my teammates, but I've had to do that stuff on my own this year. I guess that is part of being a pro because they expect you to take care of yourself and come to camp ready to work on the football stuff. You're supposed to be ready physically, so I've been trying to keep my conditioning up.
I've spent a lot of time working out at my high school in Texarkana. I've focused on running and not as much weight lifting. The Vikings expect us to come to camp lean, so I've been watching my weight and trying to get as fast as I can. I've also spent a lot of time on my bike. I've been riding around the neighborhood and over to Arkansas and back. I think that is helping with my conditioning.
The other good thing about being home over the summer is that I've been able to spend about a month with my family. I haven't been able to do that in a while and once I get to Minnesota, I probably won't get to see them very much, so I was taking advantage of that.
I also got down to Austin for a quick trip to hang out with some of my boys. I hung out with (Brian) Orakpo and (Nic) Redwine and it was cool to see those guys. I know they're looking forward to this year and I'm definitely looking forward to see how the team comes together. I'll always be a Longhorn, so I'll definitely try to catch as many games as I can.
It's definitely a fun time right now with football season coming up. I'm blessed because I'm getting a chance to do what I love. I'm going to try and represent Texas the best I can and I appreciate all the support of the fans.
I'll try and check in during camp to let everyone know how I'm doing.
Talk to you soon.
Hook 'em!
Nate
